Lucinda Williams

Which of Lucinda Williams's achingly eloquent songs represent her finest work is open to debate. However, when it comes to her best band, there's no discussion - it's the one led by guitarist Gurf Morlix with bassist John Ciambotti and Donald Lindley on drums for her first appearance on Austin City Limits on October 13, 1989.

At the time, the 36-year-old country/blues singer had already developed the world-weary howl of someone twice her age and was finally breaking beyond the folk scene with her critically lauded self-titled album. Thankfully, memorable tunes from that career-changing recording like Big Red Sun Blues, Crescent City, The Night's Too Long and Changed The Locks are the focus of Williams's hungry and heartfelt performance, superbly supported by the battle-tested Morlix and company. She was about to get much more famous, but Williams never sounded better.